In all medical treatments, such as odontological treatments, disinfection of treatment instruments and environment is of high importance. The purpose of disinfection is to kill microbes and thus to guarantee that the treatment environment and devices are safe for patients. Disinfection can be carried out as thermal disinfection, for example by boiling an instrument or by sterilizing it in autoclave, or as chemical disinfection, for example by wiping an instrument with a suitable disinfectant or by soaking it in a disinfectant solution. In disinfection, however, attention has to be paid to the material of the instrument. For example, not all plastic types can be disinfected chemically since their surfaces may absorb disinfectant. Furthermore, some materials, such as plastics, do not sustain high temperatures, either. Several sensitive instruments do not endure autoclaving.
Disinfection is, however, a necessary measure in connection with daily dental care. Mere disinfection of instruments does not, however, guarantee a hygienic environment for dental care, but the dental apparatuses and their controls should be designed and manufactured so that their surfaces can be easily disinfected or they include detachable parts that endure autoclaving.
Dental devices are typically controlled by means of a keyboard interface integrated into the device and a ‘foot control’. The keyboard is mainly used for setting operating parameters for the instruments and for similar control functions, and the foot control is employed for controlling the instruments during operation.
Doctors generally use computers for processing patient information. Computers are typically controlled by a controller placed next to the treatment device, such as a mouse or keys. In connection with treatments, doctors touch a patient with their hands, and if a computer is used in between, this poses a hygiene risk since microbes, such as bacteria and viruses, may be transmitted from the controller to the patient through touch.
It is known that cleaning and disinfection of typical controllers, such as a mouse or keyboard, is difficult due to their shape and materials. From the controller, microbes may be transmitted from the controller further to patients through touch, which is particularly detrimental in connection with dental treatment since, when the skin or mucous membranes are broken, the system is particularly vulnerable to microbes, which may cause infections, for example. The control surface can naturally be covered by a disposable or disinfectable protective cover, such as a plastic bag intended for the purpose, but in this case, the use of the control is difficult and the replacement or disinfection of the protective cover is relatively troublesome.